Browse Publications
Discover and manage thousands of titles across multiple genres, scientific journals, and classic literature.
Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions: Do entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness and opportunity recognition matter?
By Innocent Otache
While the existing literature generally suggests a positive relationship between entrepreneurship education (EE) and entrepreneurial intentions (EIs), the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully understood. Against this background and drawing on social cognitive career theory, this study explores the serial mediating effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness, and opportunity recognition on the relationship between EE and EIs. The study adopted a one-group pretest-posttest (quasi-experimental) research design. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from 254 business management students in three polytechnics in Nigeria. The study performed a repeated-measures t-test and a serial mediation analysis. The findings show that EE significantly improves students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness, opportunity recognition, and intentions. The results also indicate that entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness, and opportunity recognition positively impact EIs. Further analysis reveals that entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness, and opportunity recognition individually and serially mediate the relationship between EE and EIs. The study concludes that entrepreneurial self-efficacy, alertness, and opportunity recognition are mechanisms through which EE positively affects EIs. The study contributes to a better understanding of the role of EE in the development of EIs, and its findings have implications for policymakers and higher education institutions. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
Civic education and voting intentions among the electorate: the roles of attitudes towards voting behaviour and educational level
By Innocent Otache
Purpose: The purpose of this study is threefold: first, to determine whether civic education has a positive impact on voting intentions among the electorate; second, to establish whether attitudes towards voting behaviour (ATVB) mediate the relationship between civic education and voting intentions; and third, to determine whether educational level moderates the relationship between civic education and voting intentions. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a survey research design and a quantitative approach. Data were collected from a sample of 1,450 registered voters from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. A regression-based approach was adopted to test the study hypotheses using Hayes-PROCESS Macro 3.5. Findings: The results indicate that civic education is positively associated with voting intentions. Further analysis reveals that ATVB significantly mediates the association between civic education and voting intentions. Additionally, educational level positively moderates the relationship between civic education and voting intentions. Practical implications: The findings offer implications for governments and democratic institutions. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to provide empirical evidence of the mediating effect of ATVB and the moderating effect of educational level on the relationship between civic education and voting intentions. This study provides useful insights into the factors that influence voting intentions. © 2022, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Work Self-Efficacy and Engagement of Vocational Business Education Lecturers
By James Edokpolor
While the job demands-resources theory proposed that work self-efficacy (a salient indicator of personal resources) plays a key role in predicting the work engagement of employees, empirical evidence supporting this assumption is limited, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria. Against this background, the present study explores the interplay between work self-efficacy and work engagement of vocational business education (VBE) lecturers in public universities. The study adopted a quantitative approach and a survey research design. Data were collected from 139 lecturers in 12 public universities in Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient and simple linear regression with a bootstrap bias-correction technique were used to analyse the data collected. The results show that work self-efficacy is positively and significantly correlated with the work engagement (cognitive, emotional, and physical) dimensions of VBE lecturers. Further analysis indicates t hat work self-efficacy is positively and significantly associated with the aggregate work engagement of VBE lecturers. The findings suggest that work self-efficacy helps foster a high cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement among VBE lecturers in public universities. The findings offer a major practical implication for lecturers and administrators, which suggests that VBE lecturers that are highly resourceful (i.e. self-efficacious) have the motivational potential to experience high engagement and, in turn, perform better on the job. © Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher’s Office.
Entrepreneurship education and undergraduate students' self-employment intentions: do paid employment intentions matter?
By Innocent Otache
Purpose: Undergraduate students have two opposing employment intentions, viz. self-employment intentions and paid-employment intentions (SEIs and PEIs). While a plethora of studies have explored the links between entrepreneurship education (EE) and SEIs, it has been noted that previous studies have ignored the effects of PEIs on the relationship between EE and SEIs. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to empirically explore the effects of PEIs on the relationship between EE and SEIs. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a descriptive research design and a self-reported questionnaire was administered to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 95 accounting students from two polytechnics in Nigeria. To test the hypotheses formulated, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was performed using SmartPLS. Findings: The results of Model 1 showed that EE had a significantly positive link with SEIs. On the other hand, the analysis of Model 2 revealed an inverse relationship between PEIs and SEIs. Furthermore, it was observed that the impact of EE on SEIs did not only reduce significantly when PEIs was added to Model 1 but also the relationship between EE and SEIs that was erstwhile statistically significant became nonsignificant. Practical implications: The findings have implications for EE curriculum developers, governments and career guidance counsellors. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence of the effects of PEIs on the relationship between EE and SEIs. The findings provide important insights into the fundamental issue, which underlies the problem of graduate unemployment. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
The effects of entrepreneurship education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions: A longitudinal approach
By Innocent Otache
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to employ a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of entrepreneurship education (EE) on students’ entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) through the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which include attitudes towards behaviour (ATB), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Specifically, this study aims to achieve two objectives: first, to determine if students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs would increase significantly after their exposure to EE; and second, to establish whether students’ ATB, SN and PBC mediate the relationship between EE and their EIs. Design/methodology/approach: This longitudinal study employed a one-group pretest-posttest experimental research design. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 250 National Diploma students from five polytechnics in the North Central part of Nigeria before and after they were exposed to EE. To achieve the objectives of this study, repeated-measures t-test and partial least squares structural equation modelling were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and SmartPLS, respectively, for data analysis. Findings: The results of the paired-samples t-test showed that students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs increased significantly after their exposure to EE. Also, further data analysis revealed that EE had a significantly positive relationship with students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs. Similarly, the results of the structural model indicated that ATB had a significantly positive link with students’ EIs and also mediated the relationship between EE and students’ EIs. SN and PBC had a positive but not statistically significant relationship with students’ EIs and did not mediate the relationship between EE and students’ EIs. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide interesting implications for EE and entrepreneurship policies in Nigeria. More specifically, the findings provide some practical implications for the Nigerian government and the EE curriculum developers. To achieve greater impact of EE on students’ EIs at the tertiary education level, the Nigerian government should incorporate EE into the curricula at the primary and secondary education levels. Equipping students at the primary and secondary education levels with entrepreneurial knowledge, competencies and skills would enable them to develop a strong entrepreneurial mindset even before they gain admission to tertiary institutions. Originality/value: It is one of the few studies that have tested empirically both the direct and the indirect effects of EE on students’ EIs in a single study. Thus, it helps to further clarify the links between EE and EIs. Besides, it is among the first studies to adopt a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of EE on students’ EIs through the constructs of the TPB (i.e. ATB, SN and PBC) in the Nigerian context. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.
© 2026 AERD Database System. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Strategic Technologies.